Wilson Review

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he plans to publish the Wilson Review.

Michael Moore: The Wilson Review of support for Scottish exporting is currently scheduled to submit its report to me this autumn. The Government will then consider its findings and recommendations before publishing it before the end of 2013.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the answer of 11 March 2013, Official Report, column 20W, on high speed 2 railway line, when he plans to publish the draft environmental statement.

Simon Burns: The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin), issued a written ministerial statement to the House about HS2 Phase One Consultations today.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans his Department has to assist British companies to win contracts for the construction and manufacture of tracks, locomotives and carriages for the proposed High Speed 2 service.

Simon Burns: The Government's National Infrastructure Plan makes clear the importance of a predictable and transparent pipeline of infrastructure projects, which helps British companies gear up for and respond to opportunities. HS2 forms a key element of that long-term pipeline.
	As the HS2 project moves forward, the Government will do all it can to ensure that companies with a British presence are well placed to compete for future contracts.

Fuels: Prices

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of differential fuel pump prices in rural areas; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: The retail price of petrol and diesel is affected by a range of factors, and varies across the regions of the UK.
	Motorists on the Scottish islands and the Isles of Scilly are benefitting from a 5p per litre discount on pump prices since the Government introduced the rural fuel rebate pilot scheme last year.
	The Government will consider whether to seek EU approval for an extension of the scheme to remote parts of the UK that are likely to display similar cost characteristics to the islands.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will publish the full Major Projects Authority report into High Speed 2 which carries a red/amber classification.

Chloe Smith: holding answer 14 May 2013
	The Government announced its transparency policy for major projects data 25 February 2013. Further details can be found here:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/psr_treasury_minutes.htm

Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what guidance his Department issues on the actions that would result in the suspension or removal of a bonus payment to an official in his Department; what the process is for clawing back such bonuses; and on how many occasions this has happened in each of the last five years.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office only awards bonuses to our highest performing members of staff for their performance over the previous reporting year and a rigorous moderation process is undertaken to decide who is awarded a bonus.
	We have not removed bonuses from any official over the past five years.
	Since 2010-11 the Government has restricted performance related payments for senior civil servants to the top 25% of performers (down from 65% before the last general election).

Health Education: Sex

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to the answer of 23 April 2013, Official Report, column 827W, on health education: sex, when the Government plans to announce its response to the consultation on changing the exemption of educational DVDs from BBFC age ratings.

Edward Vaizey: DCMS has been consulting on the exemptions from age rating in the Video Recordings Act that apply to many music, sports, religious and educational DVDs. The Government expects to publish its response to the consultation shortly, though a specific date for this has not yet been set.

Local Government: Elections

John Woodcock: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the levels of turnout of electors voting (a) by post and (b) in person at the 2013 county council elections.

Chloe Smith: Returning Officers collect information about the number of ballot papers issued and forward it to the Electoral Commission. The Electoral Commission collates that data and produces turnout figures for each electoral area as well as an overall turnout figure.
	While figures for the May 2013 local elections are not yet available, I understand that the Electoral Commission plans to publish information on turnout once all this data has been received and collated. The Government has not made a separate assessment.

Homelessness

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will work with homelessness organisations to assess the effectiveness of the toolkit for identification of homelessness by Jobcentre Plus advisers.

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the toolkit for identifying homelessness used by Jobcentre Plus advisors.

Mark Hoban: There is no specific toolkit for the identification of homelessness. However, Jobcentre Plus advisers are equipped with the necessary guidance and training to identify and provide an appropriate level of tailored support for the homeless, as well as other disadvantaged groups. As a priority group, the homeless are able to access additional support through Jobcentre Plus advisers to enter employment, including early access to the Work programme. The guidance which supports Jobcentre Plus advisers is subject to regular review to ensure its effectiveness for helping to tackle homelessness and the barriers it creates to employment.

Social Security Benefits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many calls to the helpline for existing benefit recipients have been declined on security grounds since the introduction of new security checks.

Mark Hoban: Since the launch of the telephony and identification verification (T-IDV) process in November 2011 and up to 10 May 2013, a total of 1,068,079 calls to the DWP Enquire Service have resulted in failed security questions, preventing access to benefit related information.
	This is the final stage of the T-IDV process and, at this point, the customer will have already failed to satisfactorily answer automated security questions and agent-led security questions (both based on memorable information previously entered by the customer), representing a progressively increasing proportion of total inquiry calls.
	Comparable data is not available for the other enquiry service lines, as T-IDV is not used on other inquiry lines. However, T-IDV volumes have increased, progressively, in line with Enquire rollout, accounting for an increasing proportion of total primary benefit inquiries.
	The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) takes identify verification very seriously and, when appropriate, we need to ensure that the person that we are speaking to is who they claim to be. This helps us to ensure that departmental records are protected, a claimant's personal details are as secure as possible and that identify fraud is prevented.

Fracking

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the total UK onshore shale gas resource; and when he plans to publish the recent report on shale gas resources produced by the British Geological Survey.

Michael Fallon: We are working with the British Geological Survey on a study to assess the volume of shale gas in place (ie the resource as distinct from the proportion which might be economic to produce) in the Bowland Shale of northern England. I expect that the report will be published this summer. With regard to the total UK shale resource, further studies looking at other UK shale deposits will be required.

Green Deal Scheme

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to ensure that small construction companies are able to access work contracts to deliver the Green Deal.

Gregory Barker: Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will play a key role in delivering the Green Deal. A number of business models are starting to emerge in the market that allows them to use their local knowledge to provide a vital link between potential customers and the Green Deal.
	We would expect to see most SME participation in the Green Deal to be in the role of advisers and installers, but the policy and legislative framework also enables SMEs to become Green Deal providers.

Plutonium

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to paragraph 31 of page 14 of his Department's consultation on the Management of the UK's Plutonium Stock, published on 28 May 2012, if he will set out the criteria he intends to use when judging whether to publish applications in redacted form made under the Justification Process on the re-use of plutonium.

Michael Fallon: While it is our intention that applications will be published, each will need to be considered on a case by case basis against the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 in order to determine whether information included in the application should be withheld.

Renewable Energy

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effects of electricity market reform on community and co-operative energy projects.

Gregory Barker: holding answer 15 May 2013
	The Government is committed to driving and supporting an ambitious level of investment by independent generators, including community energy and co-operatives. Independent developers have played an important role in delivering new capacity, and we expect them to continue to make a material contribution to delivering investment and meeting our objectives of keeping energy prices affordable and supplies secure as we decarbonise. Accordingly, the Government is working to ensure that the electricity market reform proposals support independent generation.
	The contracts for difference proposed in the Energy Bill will remove wholesale price risk and consequently improve conditions in the market for long-term power purchase agreements needed by many independent low carbon developers to secure project finance.
	Further, we are taking powers in the Energy Bill to give Government the flexibility to support the availability of viable power purchase agreements for independent generators, should the market not develop as expected.

Scotland

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what (a) his Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies procured from companies based in Scotland of a value in excess of £25,000 since May 2010; and what the cost to the public purse was of each such procurement contract.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not record this information centrally and would be available only at disproportionate cost. The Department would be able to provide further contract information by narrowing the scope, if specific procurement projects were identified.

Bankruptcy

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many bankruptcy cases were recorded as having few or no assets in each year since 2008.

Jo Swinson: It is not possible to provide an answer to the question raised as the Insolvency Service does not collate information or report on the number of bankruptcy cases having few or no assets and the costs of obtaining that information would be disproportionate.

Bankruptcy

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the average level of debt was for bankruptcy cases (a) recorded as having few or no assets, (b) excluding those with few or no assets and (c) overall in each year since 2008.

Jo Swinson: It is not possible to provide an answer to points (a) and (b) in the question raised as the Insolvency Service does not collate information or report on the average debt of cases taking into account levels of assets and the costs of obtaining that information would be disproportionate.
	In answer to point (c), the overall average level of unsecured debt since 2008 is as follows:
	
		
			 £ 
			 As at April to March each year Median average amount of debt Mean average amount of debt 
			 2008-09 37,000 153,084 
			 2009-10 42,300 130,248 
			 2010-11 34,907 162,087 
			 2011-12 36,510 164,346 
			 2012-13 37,758 258,146

Bankruptcy

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the Insolvency Service annual report 2009-10 and 2010-11, what the threshold is for a bankruptcy case to be recorded as having few or little assets.

Jo Swinson: The Insolvency Service annual reports for 2009-10 and 2010-11 referred to cases having few or little assets. Those are cases where there were insufficient assets to cover the official receiver's case administration fee after the petition deposit had been received.
	This would be as follows:
	
		
			 £ 
			  In cases where debtors present their own petition In cases where creditors present the petition 
			 2009-10 1,355 1,285 
			 2010-11 1,265 1,115

EU External Trade: USA

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on an EU-US Trade Agreement; what timetable is envisaged; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: The UK strongly supports the forthcoming launch of negotiations for a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. It is important that we push for as ambitious an agreement as possible to deliver the fullest benefits to the "UK and the EU". We are hoping to agree the negotiating mandate within the EU in June and launch negotiations soon after that. We hope to make rapid progress towards conclusion.

Exports

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when his Department's (a) export refinancing scheme and (b) Direct Lending Facility will be in operation.

Michael Fallon: I refer my hon. Friend to the answers I gave to the hon. Member for Streatham (Mr Umunna) on 24 April 2013, Official Report, column 995W. Both the Export Refinancing Scheme and Direct Lending Facility are still being developed.

Foreign Investment in UK

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much foreign direct investment the UK has attracted in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: Official statistics on inward FDI stocks and flows over the last 10 years (2002-11) are published by the Office for National Statistics in their ‘Foreign Direct Investment Involving UK Companies, 2011 (MA4)’ publication at:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/fdi/foreign-direct-investment/2011-ma4/index.html

ICT

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to support the creation of a digital single market.

Michael Fallon: The Government is working closely with business, consumer groups and the EU institutions to ensure that the right policies are in place to create a digital single market. My noble Friend Lord Young of Grantham chairs an e-commerce task force which brings together key actors from within the digital economy to identify areas where further action is needed to create a digital single market. My noble Friend Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint will host a conference on the digital single market in Brussels this month which will be attended by Commissioners, MEPs and Ministers from across the EU. In addition, we continue to work with likeminded allies to ensure that proposals under negotiation will support the development of the digital single market and business and consumer's ability to buy and sell goods and services online across the EU.

Inflation

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will list the purposes for which his Department uses (a) the retail price index measure of inflation, (b) the consumer price index measure of inflation and (c) any alternative measure of inflation.

Jo Swinson: Information around the use of inflation measures is published alongside the Budget each year in Annex A of the Policy Costings document. For Budget 13, this is available online via the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/188367/budget2013_policy_costings.pdf.pdf
	From a financial accounts perspective, uses of inflation measures in BIS's accounts are mentioned in the published annual report and accounts. The BIS Annual Report and Accounts for 2011-12 is published on thedata.gov.uk website:
	http://data.gov.uk/dataset/bis-annual-report-and-accounts
	The accounting areas that mention use of inflation measures are student loans (on pages 151, 166 to 170 and 206) and launch investments (on pages 172 and 173).

Post Offices: Greater London

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has given consideration to the future of Holloway Crown Post Office.

Jo Swinson: The Government do not have any role in franchising or mergers of Crown post office branches and the development and implementation, following local public consultation, of such proposals is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd.
	The Government is fully committed to modernising the post office network and to safeguarding its future. This is why we are investing £1.34 billion over the next two years to modernise the network, helping the post office to compete in a changing retail market with no programme of closures.
	Ensuring that the heavy losses of the Crown post office segment of the network are eliminated to reach break-even by 2015 is a key element of the strategy to make the network sustainable.

Zoos

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the importance of zoos and aquariums to the UK economy;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to stimulate economic growth in the zoo and aquarium sector.

Michael Fallon: A report by the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BAIZA)(1), to be published shortly, indicates that when indirect and induced effects are added to the direct outputs of zoos, as measured through the purchase of goods and services, the sector contributes some £658 million in total activity, and that the sector employs some 11,000 FTEs. Ministers and officials from BIS have had regular contact with BAIZA over the lifetime of this parliament at which BIAZA's proposals for growth within the sector have been discussed.
	(1 )The British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums Regent's Park London NW1 4RY. Direct line: 020 7449 6599. Website: www.biaza.org.uk

Zoos

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to promote the economic potential of zoos, aquariums and allied wildlife sites to local enterprise partnerships.

Michael Fallon: The Government is committed to devolving power to local communities, and it is not for the Government to determine local enterprise partnerships’ (LEPs) priorities and actions. As independent bodies, LEPs develop and agree their own local priorities as they are best placed to understand how to drive jobs and growth.

Croydon University Hospital

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the proposed downgrade of Croydon University Hospital, including the closure of accident and emergency, maternity and children's units; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: Croydon university hospital is part of the current review of health care services taking place under the Better Services, Better Value reconfiguration proposals.
	Proposals for reconfiguration of health services are locally led, in this case by the local Clinical Commissioning Groups of South West London and Surrey Downs.
	No decisions have been made and local clinicians continue working together to develop ways of reshaping local health services for the benefit of patients. Once final proposals are agreed, a full three-month public consultation will be held.

Drugs: Misuse

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of hospital admissions arising from legal highs in each of the last five years.

Anna Soubry: The information which is collected centrally about hospital admissions for drug poisoning does not separately identify newer substances such as legal highs. In “Statistics on Drug Misuse England, 2012” published on 29 November, the Health and Social Care Information Centre highlighted a consultation on whether additional codes should be included in collecting statistics on hospital admissions for drug poisoning.

General Practitioners: Working Hours

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of spending on out of hours care between 2004 and 2010, by primary care trust.

Jeremy Hunt: Information on spending on out of hours care between 2004 and 2010 by primary care trust has been placed in the Library.

General Practitioners: Working Hours

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many items of correspondence his Department received from primary care trusts expressing concern about arrangements for out of hours care following the introduction of the revised GP contract between 2004 and 2010;
	(2)  how many individual items of correspondence his Department received expressing concern about out of hours care between 2004 and 2010.

Anna Soubry: Records are only available from August 2005. A search of the Department's ministerial correspondence database has identified 601 items of correspondence received up to 31 December 2010 about out of hours care. This is a minimum figure and represents correspondence received by the Department's ministerial correspondence unit only. It is not possible to provide more specific information about this correspondence without incurring disproportionate cost.
	There were no items of correspondence from primary care trusts expressing concerns about arrangements for out of hours care following the introduction of the revised contract between 2004 and 2010.

Health Services: Berkshire

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has recently received representations from NHS Berkshire about (a) the future of Heatherwood Hospital, Ascot and (b) the strategic priorities for healthcare services in East Berkshire. [R]

Anna Soubry: The Department has not received any representations from NHS Berkshire about the future of Heatherwood hospital, Ascot and the strategic priorities for health care services in East Berkshire.

Health Services: Foreign Nationals

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost of secondary care provided to foreign nationals who were not entitled to free treatment.

Anna Soubry: The Department is not able to make a reliable estimate of the cost to the national health service of providing secondary care to foreign nationals who were not entitled to free treatment because the NHS does not currently have robust enough systems in place to identify every foreign national who should pay for hospital treatment.
	The Department has commissioned a piece of work to better understand the extent of the use of the NHS by migrants and visitors.
	The Department has recently concluded a major review of the rules and procedures on charging visitors and migrants for NHS care and over the summer we will consult on proposals to make the system fairer and ensure that people who should pay for NHS services do in fact do so. This will include improving how the NHS can identify, charge and recover charges where they should apply.

Inflation

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the purposes for which his Department uses (a) the retail price index measure of inflation, (b) the consumer price index measure of inflation and (c) any alternative measure of inflation.

Daniel Poulter: The Department uses a number of different measures of inflation for a number of different purposes, including the following:
	(a) The retail price index (RPI) measure of inflation is used to inform:
	level of future payments made by the NHS Litigation Authority;
	Health service cost index (uses both RPI and gross domestic product (GDP) deflators);
	NHS Pay Review Bodies (consider both RPI and the consumer price index (CPI)); and
	payments to externally financed premises such as private finance initiative (PFI) contracts.
	(b) The consumer price index (CPI) measure of inflation is used to:
	Calculate support payments paid to individuals infected with Hepatitis .C or HIV through NHS blood transfusions.
	(c) GDP deflators are used to inform the setting of:
	sight test fees and optical vouchers (also uses RPI);
	tariff uplift;
	dental charges;
	prescription charges; and
	overseas health payments and income (both historical trends of inflation and GDP deflators are used).
	It is considered to be of disproportionate cost to compile a comprehensive list.

Mental Hospitals

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what plans he has to develop existing high secure hospital estates to meet changes in overall capacity requirements over the next five years;
	(2)  whether any review of the capacity of high secure hospitals was undertaken prior to the commissioning of redevelopment plans for Broadmoor Hospital;
	(3)  what the maximum patient capacity of Ashworth Hospital was on the date the hospital was established.

Norman Lamb: NHS England informs me that commissioners undertook a Capacity Review that was completed in November 2009 for the period 2011-12 to 2015-16.
	Ashworth hospital was originally built with 410 bedrooms. Good practice, is to have less than 100% occupancy so that admission and discharge can be arranged to meet clinical need and the requirements of the criminal justice system.
	The main improvement to the high secure estate over the next five years is the redevelopment of Broadmoor hospital. Other improvement schemes are local to the hospitals.

Mesothelioma

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has held with insurance firms on the proposal to place their financial contribution to mesothelioma research onto a statutory basis.

Anna Soubry: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), has had no such discussions.

NHS Foundation Trusts

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS trusts have not achieved Foundation Trust status; and when he expects all NHS trusts to gain Foundation Trust status.

Anna Soubry: The NHS Trust Development Authority (NTDA) has responsibility for providing support to trusts to help them achieve foundation trust status. The Department has allowed the NTDA to agree trajectories for NHS trusts to reach foundation trust status by 2014 or, on a case by case basis, beyond 2014. In doing so, we will ensure that the primary focus of the NTDA and of NHS trusts themselves is on improving the quality and sustainability of services for patients. The list of existing NHS trusts is outlined as follows:
	Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust
	Barking Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust
	Barnet and Chase Farm NHS Trust
	Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust
	Bart’s Health NHS Trust
	Bedford Hospital NHS Trust
	Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust
	Bradford District Care NHS Trust
	Bridgewater Community Healthcare Trust
	Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust
	Buckinghamshire Community Healthcare NHS Trust
	Cambridge Community Services NHS Trust
	Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust
	Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust
	Croydon Health Services NHS Trust
	Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust
	Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Trust
	Devon Partnership NHS Trust
	Dudley and Walsall Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust
	Ealing Hospital NHS Trust
	East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust
	East Cheshire NHS Trust
	East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust
	East Midlands Ambulance Services NHS Trust
	East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust
	East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
	Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust
	George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust
	Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust
	Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust
	Hinchingbrooke Healthcare NHS Trust
	Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare NHS Trust
	Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust
	Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
	Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust
	Isle of Wight NHS Primary Care Trust
	Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership NHS Trust
	Kent Community Health NHS Trust
	Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust
	Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
	Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust
	Lewisham Healthcare NHS Trust
	Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust
	Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust
	London Ambulance Service NHS Trust
	Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells
	Manchester Mental Health and Social Care NHS Trust
	Mersey Care NHS Trust
	Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust
	Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust
	NHS Direct
	Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust
	North Bristol NHS Trust
	North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust
	North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust
	North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust
	North West Ambulance Services NHS Trust
	North West London Hospitals NHS Trust
	Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust
	Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust
	Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
	Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust
	Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust
	Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
	Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust
	Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust
	Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust
	Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
	Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen Hospitals NHS Trust
	Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust
	Royal Wolverhampton Hospital NHS Trust
	Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust
	Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust
	Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust
	Solent NHS Trust
	South London Healthcare NHS Trust
	South West London and St George's NHS Trust
	Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust
	St George's Healthcare NHS Trust
	St Helens and Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust
	Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Partnership NHS Trust
	Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
	Sussex Community Health NHS Trust
	The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust
	The Whittington Hospital NHS Trust
	Torbay and Southern Devon Health and Care Trust
	United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust
	University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust
	University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust
	University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
	Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust
	West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust
	West London Mental Health NHS Trust
	West Middlesex University NHS Trust
	Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust
	Weston Area Health NHS Trust
	Wirral Community Health Services
	Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
	Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust
	Wye Valley NHS Trust (Hereford Hospital)
	Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust

Offenders: Rehabilitation

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the annual cost of (a) methadone prescriptions and (b) rehabilitative treatment for both prisoners and offenders on probation is.

Norman Lamb: We are informed by Public Health England that data is not collected centrally on spending by prisons on methadone prescriptions. Data is available on total funding allocations for clinical drug treatment, which includes the cost of methadone prescribing, to primary care trusts in prisons over the last five years to March 2013 and is shown in the table. It is not possible to extract methadone prescription costs from the data. The cost of rehabilitative drug treatment for prisoners is also included in these totals.
	
		
			 Total funding allocations made to primary care trusts for all clinical drug treatments in prisons in England between 2008-09 and 2012-13: male and female, all ages 
			  Total clinical drug funding allocation (£ million) 
			 2012-13 117.5 
			 2011-12 108.4 
			 2010-11 44.5 
			 2009-10 39.7 
			 2008-09 23.2 
			 Source: Public Health England. 
		
	
	From April 2011, the total allocation included funding for psychosocial interventions which had previously been funded by the National Offender Management Service. In 2012-13 the total included funding for the young persons' secure estate and for immigration removal centres.
	The cost of rehabilitative health care treatments provided to offenders on probation is not collected centrally. Since April 2013, NHS England has commissioned prison drug treatment services through 10 designated local area teams (LATs). LATs will be able to enter into local agreements with other partners, including criminal justice agencies, to establish pooled budgets and deliver services including rehabilitative health care for offenders in the community. This data will be available from NHS England in future.

Skin Cancer

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) GPs and (b) GPs with special interests who diagnose, manage and excise low-risk basal cell carcinomas in the community (i) are fully accredited to do so and (ii) undergo continuous professional development in the diagnosis and management of skin lesions to maintain their accreditation.

Daniel Poulter: The Department supported the revision of guidance for general practitioners (GPs) with a special interest in dermatology, which set out a new role for skin surgery and community cancer care, in ‘Revised guidance and competences for the provision of services using GPs with special interests: Dermatology and skin surgery’ (NHS Primary Care Commissioning, 2011). This guidance for GPs and commissioners of services underpins more effective community care for those with suspected cancer.
	Furthermore, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance on the management of low-risk basal cell carcinomas (BCCs), published in 2011, describes the training, education, qualifications and accreditation (official recognition and approval) that three different groups of health care professionals need to manage low-risk BCCs in the community.
	The General Medical Council (GMC) is an independent statutory body that is directly accountable to Parliament. One of its purposes is to promote high standards of medical education and training. In December last year, the GMC introduced Medical Revalidation, which is the process by which licensed doctors are required to demonstrate on a regular basis that they are up to date and fit to practise. All doctors have to provide evidence of continuing professional development, covering the full scope of their practice, which is assessed through a formal annual appraisal process.

Tuberculosis

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the extent of the incidence of tuberculosis in the UK.

Anna Soubry: The incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in the United Kingdom over time is assessed through systematic analysis of notification data obtained from the Enhanced Tuberculosis Surveillance System, run by Public Health England. In 2011 in the UK, a total of 8,963 cases of TB were reported, a rate of 14.4 cases per 100,000 population. This information is contained in Tuberculosis case reports and rates, UK, 2000-11 which has been placed in the Library. TB notifications and rates increased from 2000 until 2005, and have remained high but relatively stable since.
	A brief summary of key surveillance data for 2011 is given as follows:
	The main burden of TB was concentrated in large urban areas, with 39% of all cases reported from London.
	Over half of TB cases had pulmonary disease (52%).
	The majority of cases (74%) were born outside the UK, with the rate of TB among the non-UK-born population being 20 times the rate in the UK-born.

All Party Groups

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what meetings he and Ministers in his Department have had with all party parliamentary groups in the last 12 months.

Brandon Lewis: Due to the sheer number of All Party Parliamentary Groups, Ministers are not practically able to attend every event which may involve the Department's responsibilities.
	However, a list of meetings which Ministers within the Department for Communities and Local Government attended over the last 12 months has been placed in the Library of the House.

Fires: Death

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the number of deaths per 100,000 due to fire in (a) the UK and (b) countries that have introduced compulsory fire sprinklers in domestic properties.

Brandon Lewis: The Department has not made such an assessment. Recording practices for fire incidents and casualties vary across countries as described in the report “Comparison of European Fire Statistics” and found in the following link:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20121108165934/http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/corporate/pdf/2159418.pdf
	Fire safety and prevention activity, such as promoting increased ownership and regular testing of smoke alarms, have resulted in fire fatalities being halved over the last 20 years, with the latest figures showing a further fall:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-statistics-monitor-april-to-september-2012
	Research and a review in 2005 concluded that it would not be cost-effective to provide sprinklers in new homes, but that it would be reasonable to provide them in blocks of flats over 30 metres in height and certain types of care homes. The outcome of the research resulted in building regulations being amended to require sprinklers in tall blocks of flats, certain types of care homes and large warehouses.
	New regulation on housing needs to be balanced and proportionate. Making sprinklers compulsory in all new homes would add an estimated £2,000 to £3,000 to the regulatory cost of a new-build home, meaning fewer new homes, making home ownership less accessible especially for first-time buyers, and potentially pushing up rents in the private rented sector.

Access to Countryside

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that children from disadvantaged backgrounds have access to the countryside.

Richard Benyon: The Natural Environment White Paper included an ambition that every child in England be:
	'given the opportunity to experience and. learn about the natural environment.'
	We have acted to break down perceived health and safety barriers and enabled schools to use Pupil Premium funding for outdoor learning.
	The Natural Connections Demonstration Project targets students in deprived areas across the south west. We plan to launch a similar project in east London.
	Local green space, farm host visits and initiatives such as the Forest School movement are also particularly beneficial to disadvantaged children.

Red Tape

David Rutley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress he has made on reducing red tape in the farming industry.

David Heath: The Farming Task Force Implementation Group has assessed progress in reducing red tape. Their assessment, published on 27 February, recognises the positive action taken by Government to date but highlights that much of it is yet to be felt by farmers. We will work at pace to ensure farmers see reductions in unnecessary red tape by: improving the way inspections are carried out; developing simple, clear guidance, and reducing paperwork burdens.

Rural Economy

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what policies he is putting in place to encourage growth in the rural economy.

Richard Benyon: Stimulating economic growth is the top priority for Government. We want to see rural areas contributing to and benefitting from that growth. We are working to improve superfast broadband and mobile infrastructure in rural communities, piloting Rural Growth Networks to test different ways of helping businesses stimulate economic growth in rural areas, while boosting key sectors such as tourism. We are also increasing export potential and unblocking barriers to growth by removing red tape.

Bovine Tuberculosis

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent on testing for bovine tuberculosis in (a) the UK and (b) Bassetlaw constituency in each of the last 10 years.

David Heath: Financial data which allows the costs of bovine TB testing to be separately identified from other TB related spending for the last 10 years is not available.
	However, data is available (as follows) for 2011-12 and 2012-13 but not in the form requested as data is only available regionally (ie Midlands), not available by individual county.
	
		
			 £ million 
			  2011-12 2012-13 
			 England 44.12 45.53 
			 Of which:   
			 Midlands 14.23 14.05 
		
	
	TB testing is defined as all skin tests and gamma interferon tests.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the bagder cull programme in Ireland and of lessons to be learned in relation to the proposed badger cull in the UK.

David Heath: The Irish approach to badger control is to cull badgers where they have been identified as contributing to an outbreak of TB, which is determined through an epidemiological investigation. There are a number of differences between the situation here and in the Republic of Ireland which mean that we are not planning to replicate their approach. These include differences in TB incidence, badger population density and ecology (population density is lower and badgers appear to move over larger distances in the Republic of Ireland).
	We believe controlled shooting is one of the most effective methods of carrying out badger culling but the pilots this summer will test our assumptions about the effectiveness, humaneness and safety of this method. Once the independent panel of experts overseeing and evaluating the pilots report back to Government, Ministers can then decide whether the policy should be rolled out more widely.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to eradicate tuberculosis from cattle.

David Heath: The Government is committed to a comprehensive and balanced approach to tackling bovine TB using all available tools. Numerous cattle controls are already in place, including:
	Routine surveillance testing of cattle herds, frequency of testing based on risk;
	Pre-movement testing of cattle from higher risk herds;
	Movement restrictions on animals from herds that have tested positive or inconclusive for bovine TB;
	The slaughter of all cattle that have tested positive for bovine TB;
	All cattle carcases inspected at slaughterhouses for evidence of TB;
	Advice and support for farmers that have had cases of bovine TB in their herds about bio-security and reducing the risk of bovine TB; and
	Significant investment in research, with a particular focus on the development of vaccines.
	In January 2013 the Government introduced further changes to the TB surveillance testing regime and cattle movement controls. Measures for controlling bovine TB in cattle will continue to form the backbone of our approach to tackling bovine TB and we will continue to look for ways to enhance them.
	However, cattle measures alone are not enough to prevent the spread of disease in the worst affected areas. In order to stop it spreading further we need to address the issue of infected badgers passing the disease to cattle. Two badger culling pilots will go ahead this summer to test the effectiveness, humaneness and safety of controlled shooting and inform a decision on a wider roll-out of the policy.
	The Government intends to publish a broad strategy pulling all of these strands together.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what plans he has to start bovine TB cattle vaccination trials;
	(2)  whether he has submitted a request to the European Commission to start bovine TB cattle vaccination trials; and what the timetable is for any such programme;
	(3)  what steps he is taking to ensure that any bovine TB cattle vaccination trials to be undertaken in England do not adversely affect the ability to export beef and dairy products.

David Heath: EU Commissioner Tonio Borg wrote to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the right hon. Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson), on 14 January 2013 setting out the substantial scientific evidence that will be needed before any decision can be taken on lifting the current EU ban on cattle vaccination. For that reason, his view is that it would be reasonable to expect the full process to take 10 years.
	However, we are looking for ways to accelerate the work we were already doing on planning the experimental research and large scale trialling of the vaccine that the Commissioner regards as the essential next step. We hope to have successfully completed all the experimental work, including studies on safety of meat and milk, during 2014 so that we can make an application to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate for an Animal Test Certificate to begin the necessary field trials.

Gangmasters

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 4 July 2012, Official Report, column 682W, on gangmasters, what progress he has made in (a)  bringing forward proposals for consultation on the introduction of fines and penalties for low level technical and minor offences, (b) issuing sentencing guidelines for gangmaster-related offences and (c) introducing civil penalties for gangmaster-related offences.

David Heath: DEFRA launched an eight week public consultation on proposals arising from the Red Tape Challenge review of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) on Friday 26 April. It includes proposals to introduce civil sanctions as an alternative to prosecution for the offences in the Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004 (the 2004 Act), and seeks views on how these could be introduced. Any measures introduced following the consultation will be consistent with the Government's policy on the use of civil sanctions, as set out in the written ministerial statement laid before Parliament by the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Sevenoaks (Michael Fallon), on 8 November 2012, Official Report, column 43WS.
	DEFRA officials have looked into the practicalities of drafting sentencing guidelines in respect of the offences in the 2004 Act. Initial findings indicate that the relatively low level of prosecutions arising from these offences means it is unlikely that the Sentencing Council would view this area of sentencing as a priority.

Childminding

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  whether he plans to offer financial incentives to encourage the formation of childminder agencies;
	(2)  what representations his Department has received from child care experts in support of the creation of childminder agencies;
	(3)  what (a) organisations and (b) individuals his Department has approached regarding the establishment of pilot schemes for childminder agencies.

Elizabeth Truss: At present we do not have any plans to offer financial incentives to encourage the formation of childminder agencies.
	We have received support from a number of organisations and individuals for the introduction of 'childminder agencies', including the members of our Task and Finish Group, and Her Majesty's chief inspector.
	In relation to pilot schemes for childminder agencies, we have actively encouraged all those with a potential interest in working with us on trials of agencies to contact us directly.

Children: Day Care

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what (a) organisations and (b) individuals his Department has approached regarding the establishment of pilot schemes for the relaxation of staff to child ratios in childcare settings.

Elizabeth Truss: In 'More great childcare', published on 29 January, the Government announced its intention to amend the staff:child ratios as set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework from September 2013. The Government consulted on the qualifications required to enable settings to take advantage of the new ratios in a public consultation which closed at the end of March. We have spoken to a number of early years and childcare organisations and providers about our proposals to improve the quality of provision in the early years sector and how best to implement staff:child ratios.

Children: Day Care

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  whether he has received representations from Ofsted in support of the relaxation of childcare ratios;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had with Ofsted and Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education on the relaxation of childcare ratios.

Elizabeth Truss: I have regular conversations with Her Majesty's chief inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, on this and other issues. Sir Michael has made clear that Ofsted considers highly qualified staff to be critical to ensuring high quality early years provision. In an article published in 'Nursery World' on 25 February 2013, Sir Michael said,
	"The facts are clear—highly skilled adults do a great deal to improve the vocabulary, cognitive and social skills of very young children, particularly when they are not able to gain them at home. It is the skill and knowledge of early years teachers and educators that counts more than how many are deployed in a setting. Qualified teachers have been able to work with more children aged three and four than staff who are not teachers for years, and it seems right to me that the government is thinking of extending this principle”.(1)
	(1)http://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/news/1172172/Exclusive-Why-I-believe-need-raise-qualifications/?DCMP=ILC-SEARCH

Curriculum

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when the Government plans to publish a revised impact assessment on the proposed changes to the National Curriculum.

Elizabeth Truss: We will publish an equalities impact assessment for the new national curriculum, alongside our consultation on the draft statutory Orders that will implement the new programmes of study, in the summer.

Departmental Responsibilities

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish the stop lists of policy activity referred to in his Department's recent Infrastructure and Funding Division newsletter.

Elizabeth Truss: As part of the Department review we have examined all areas of the Department's business to make sure that our resources are properly focused on ministerial priorities, and explored work which can be stopped, scaled back, or done differently. We will continue to do this on a regular basis as part of our commitment to reduce our administration budget, and to make sure that we continue to allocate our resources where they are needed most.
	The 'stop list' mentioned in the newsletter refers to this ongoing and developing work—we are therefore not in a position to publish a single, definite 'stop list'.

Education: Assessments

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effect of the time taken in publication of assessment criteria on the development of learning resources.

Elizabeth Truss: We aim to publish the consultation on primary assessment and accountability under the new National Curriculum by the end of the summer term. The first new statutory assessments of the new National Curriculum will be in 2016.
	In advance of the consultation, we are continuing discussions with publishers, educational suppliers and representative bodies, to make sure that appropriate support is available to schools as they develop their own curriculum, assessment and reporting arrangements.

Pre-school Education

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what representations he has received advocating the delivery of free nursery education by childcare providers rated as satisfactory without the involvement of the relevant local authority in ensuring good quality provision;
	(2)  what representations he has received advocating the guarantee of an offer of funding for new early education providers, which have been registered with Ofsted but not inspected, to deliver the free nursery entitlement;
	(3)  what representations he has received advocating the removal of the duty on local authorities to secure information, advice and training for childcare providers;
	(4)  what assessment he has made of the potential effect of limiting the retention of free nursery entitlement funding by local authorities on the ability to provide services to childcare providers, including training and special educational needs support.

Elizabeth Truss: The consultation on proposed changes to the role of the local authority in the delivery of funded early education, and in securing information advice and training for child care providers, closed on 6 May 2013. The Department received a large number of responses from a range of organisations, which it is currently analysing. The Government will publish its response to the consultation in due course.
	The Government is keen to maximise the level of funding that reaches the frontline to give early education and child care providers greater choice and flexibility when it comes to accessing training and support that meets their needs. In 2012-13, 113 local authorities retained less than 10% of their early years budget and nine retained centrally over 20%.
	The 'Early Years block' within the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) is not the only source of funding for activities to support high-quality inclusive early education. Provision for children with special education needs (SEN) can also be supported through the High Needs block of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG). Funding is also still available through the Early Intervention Grant (now in the Business Rates Retention Scheme) into which a number of predecessor grants, including those for early years, were brought together.

School Meals

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to monitor the take up of school meals.

Elizabeth Truss: Monitoring of the take up of school meals is being considered as part of the School Food Plan, which is currently being prepared by the independent school food reviewers, Henry Dimbleby and John Vincent.
	Once the reviewers have completed the Plan, we will consider any recommendations they make on this issue.

Schools

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which schools other than academies and free schools have been visited by each Minister in his Department since May 2010.

Elizabeth Truss: This information is not held centrally. Therefore to provide this information would incur disproportionate cost.

Developing Countries: Nutrition

Kevin Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she discussed increasing resources for nutrition-specific programmes at the World Bank Spring meeting in Washington, USA.

Alan Duncan: At the recent spring meetings the UK sought commitments from the World Bank for them to use existing resources and make programmes nutrition sensitive. Nutrition sensitive programmes are programmes across a range of sectors for example, social protection, agriculture or health which are also designed to have a nutritional impact. The Bank has huge investments in agriculture and social protection which have significant untapped potential for nutritional impact. We would like to see the Bank use this portfolio of programmes to deliver nutrition outcomes.

Inflation

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the purposes for which her Department uses (a) the retail price index measure of inflation, (b) the consumer price index measure of inflation and (c) any alternative measure of inflation.

Alan Duncan: DFID uses monthly consumer price indices, published by the Office for National Statistics, to revalue its vehicles, furniture and equipment and IT equipment assets. These assets are reported in the Department's annual report and accounts. This revaluation is in accordance with the requirements on accounting for tangible assets, set out within the HM Treasury Financial Reporting Manual.
	The consumer prices index (CPI) is also used for price indexation of public service pensions.

Nepal

Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the government of Nepal has declined funding from the UK Government to support its gender-based violence unit in the Prime Minister's Office.

Alan Duncan: Since 2010, the UK has worked very closely with the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, in Nepal, to help establish a gender-based violence unit (GBV Unit) and develop a National Plan of Action to address gender-based violence. This GBV Unit is now fully funded by the Ministry of Finance, from Nepal's own public funds, and UK funds are therefore not required.
	Addressing violence against women and girls remains a key shared priority for the Government of Nepal and the UK. The UK is continuing work with the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare to strengthen and support local level responses to gender-based violence and we are currently designing a larger scale justice programme which will have a particular focus on tackling violence against women and girls.

South Africa

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with reference to the answer of 15 April 2013, Official Report, column 92W on South Africa, 
	(1)  for what reasons the proportion of UK aid to South Africa spent on providing support to HIV and AIDS was increased from 0 per cent to 50 per cent in 2013;
	(2)  who was consulted on the decision to increase UK support to HIV and AIDS in South Africa from zero per cent in 2011-12 to 50 per cent in 2012-13.

Lynne Featherstone: There was a tabulation error and the corrected table is provided here. UK aid to South Africa in 2011-12 and 2012-13 was £19 million. The categories of programme and expenditure are as follows:
	
		
			 Percentage 
			  2011-12 2012-13 
			 Promoting growth and jobs 31 9 
			 Supporting South Africa's effort on Climate Change 11 6 
			 Tackling gender based violence and strengthening public sector performance 8 11 
			 Support to Maternal and New-born Health 0 24 
			 Support to HIV and AIDS 50 50 
			 Total 100 100 
		
	
	As the corrected table now shows, the increase in UK support was for maternal and new-born health to reverse the increasing maternal mortality ratio and under five mortality in the country. In collaboration with the Government consultation was held with civil society and national and international academia during the design of the programme.

Afghanistan

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Afghan government about (a) fully implementing the Elimination of Violence Against Woman Law, (b) increasing support for family responses units, (c) increasing the recruitment and retention of women in Afghan police forces, (d) increasing support for Afghan women human rights' defenders and (e) ensuring the meaningful representation of Afghan women in any peace negotiations.

Alistair Burt: The information is as follows.
	(a) The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and Department for International Development (DFID) are working together to ensure the Afghan Government implements its national and international human rights commitments and obligations, including the UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women. Implementation of the Afghan Elimination of Violence Against Women Law (EVAW) was specifically included in the Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework (TMAF), the partnership between the Afghan Government and the international community. We, along with our international partners, will hold the Afghan Government to account for the commitments they have made. In Kabul, the Gender Donor Coordination Group (led by UN Women) and the Civil Society Support Group (led by UNAMA) are currently considering how the TMAF recommendations should be taken forward. The UK is represented on both groups.
	(b) The UK provides £7.1 million assistance to the Ministry of the Interior in Afghanistan, which includes support to work that is helping to protect and uphold women's rights such as the development of the Afghan National Police's policy on promoting human rights and protecting women and women rights defenders from violence. Through our support to EUPOL, the European Police Mission to Afghanistan, the UK supports the Ministry of Interior in its efforts to increase the numbers and capacity of Family Response Units across Afghanistan. Earlier this year, a Memorandum of Understanding between EUPOL, the Ministry of Interior and United Nations Development Programme was signed to this effect.
	(c) During her visit to Afghanistan 4-6 March, the Senior Minister of State, my noble Friend the right hon. Baroness Warsi discussed women's vital contribution to building peace, security and prosperity in Afghanistan with the Afghan Government and wider Afghan authorities, leading female parliamentarians and other Government and civil society representatives. In Helmand Baroness Warsi visited the Provincial Police Headquarters and met female police officers who are contributing to the provision of security in their community.
	(d) We share the widespread concern about the attacks and intimidation faced by the dedicated and courageous women who work tirelessly to defend the rights and fundamental freedoms of others. This year the UK has provided £500,000 in funding to the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission to help it act to protect human rights defenders, investigate and catalogue violence, and support those seeking justice. The British embassy in Kabul monitors threats of violence towards human rights activists, with a particular focus on women. Where appropriate and useful to do so the British embassy in Kabul has issued statements condemning such violence, and raised concerns with senior interlocutors in the Government of Afghanistan.
	(e) We are committed to ensuring that women play as full a part as possible in securing a peaceful and prosperous future Afghanistan, and that the Afghan political system and Afghan-led peace process are inclusive and reflect the needs and aspirations of all Afghan citizens, including women and girls.

Bangladesh

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that requirements on health and safety in the workplace are taken into account in the conduct of trade with Bangladesh.

Alistair Burt: The terrible event of the Rana Plaza collapse in Savar has highlighted the importance of following the law, enforcing regulations and eliminating the underlying corruption that increases daily risk to innocent individuals in Bangladesh.
	The British Government is committed to improving living and working conditions in Bangladesh. The Ethical Trading Initiative, supported by the Department for International Development (DFID), improves the life of nearly 10 million workers, and the DFID funded RAGS Fund is promoting the rights of garment workers.
	There is still much more to be done and everyone involved needs to play their part. This will involve close cooperation from all parties involved in the supply chain.

Bangladesh

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of the killing of large numbers of peaceful protestors in Shapla Square, Dhaka, Bangladesh; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The British Government is very concerned about the recent violent protests and deaths in Bangladesh. There have been a number of outbreaks of violent unrest in Bangladesh since mid-February, resulting in approximately 200 deaths to end April. We continue to monitor the situation closely.
	On the specific 5-6 May violence, we have calls for the Government of Bangladesh to conduct an impartial, transparent, investigation into the violence. The British high commissioner in Dhaka issued a statement on 6 May, urging all parties to restrain from violence or excessive use of force, and to substitute dialogue for confrontation.
	The Minister of State, my noble Friend the right hon. Baroness Warsi raised concerns about recent violence with the Bangladesh Foreign Minister most recently in a meeting on 25 April. On 13 March, she issued a statement expressing the UK's concerns and urged all sides to exercise restraint, moderation and respect for rule of law.
	The British Government respects the right for all citizens to hold their government to account including through legitimate and peaceful protests. We hope that citizens are able to freely raise their concerns or grievances through peaceful means, without fear of retaliation or attack.

British Nationals Abroad: Death

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer of 25 April 2013, Official Report, columns 1049-50W, on British nationals abroad: deaths, what the nature is of the assistance provided by his Department to families in such cases.

Mark Simmonds: The range of support the Foreign and Commonwealth Office can provide in the cases of British nationals killed or murdered abroad is described in its publication, Support for British Nationals Abroad. This can be found on the Gov.uk website at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/support-for-british-nationals-abroad-a-guide
	I also refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my noble Friend, the Senior Minister of State right hon. Baroness Warsi PC, to the noble Lord, Lord Kennedy of Southwark, on 23 April 2013, Official Report,House of Lords, column 1350.

Buildings

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the total running costs were for each building used, owned or rented in central London by his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies in each of the last three financial years.

David Lidington: The following table shows the net running costs according to Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) records for each of the separate buildings used, owned or rented by the FCO for the last three financial years. This includes buildings leased by the FCO’s arm’s length bodies.
	
		
			 £ 
			 Building Occupier Owned/rented 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 King Charles Street FCO Owned 12,568,814 12,357,495 12,210,850 
			 Old Admiralty Building FCO Owned 5,407,734 5,119,293 5,100,071 
			 1 Carlton Gardens FCO Rented 729,956 742,678 697,385 
		
	
	
		
			 Lancaster House FCO Rented 2,692,473 2,568,011 2,538,341 
			 Centre Point FCO(1) Rented 209,000 216,000 224,000 
			 Artillery House WFD(2) Rented 100,500 100,500 150,179 
			 15 Belgrave Square GBCC(3) Rented 49,542 42,502 46,193 
			 Spring Gardens BRICO(4) Rented 5,667,000 5,422,000 5,637,746 
			 (1) Building vacated in May 2013. (2) Westminster Foundation for Democracy. (3) Great Britain China Centre. (4) British Council 2012-13 figure shown net of subletting income. 
		
	
	The FCO has two Executive agencies, neither of which rent or own buildings in central London. FCO Services provide technical and logistic support to the Department and their staff are housed in King Charles Street, the Old Admiralty Building and Lancaster House. The cost of their accommodation is not separately recorded. The Wilton Park conference centre is housed in rented premises near Steyning, West Sussex. No Wilton Park staff are permanently based in any part of the FCO's central London estate.

Colombia

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the government of Colombia about the death threat received by the Patriotic March member, Martha Cecilia Díaz Suárez and her two daughters from the paramilitary group Los Rastrojos in the form of two mutilated and red painted dolls.

Hugo Swire: We have received many reports of threats and violent attacks against members of the Patriotic March movement. Officials at the British embassy in Bogota have raised several of these cases with the Colombian Government, including threats against Carlos Lozano and the disappearance of Hernán Henry Díaz. The British ambassador to Colombia met with leaders of the March in Bogota this year.

Fiji

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what discussions his Department has had with the government of Fiji about that country's human rights record;
	(2)  what discussions his Department has had with the government of Fiji about the status of Fiji within the Commonwealth;
	(3)  what discussions his Department has had with the government of Fiji about the effects on Fiji of its suspension from the Commonwealth;
	(4)  what his policy is on the readmission of Fiji to the Commonwealth; and if he will make a statement.

Hugo Swire: We regularly raise our concerns about the human rights situation in Fiji with the Fijian authorities, including Ministers, the civil service, Police Commissioners and election bodies. In view of the seriousness of the human rights situation, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has included Fiji as a 'country of concern' in its Annual Report on Human Rights for both 2011 and 2012.
	Further, in consultation with the British high commission in Suva, the local EU delegation has issued a number of statements on the human rights situation in Fiji, including: concern around the political parties' registration decree; investigations into allegations of torture; and the importance of freedom of expression and assembly. We have also encouraged the local EU delegation to raise these issues with the Fijian Foreign Minister which they did most recently earlier this month. We are encouraging the EU to pursue a dialogue on criteria for EU election observers. In view of the lack of democratic progress, EU development assistance to Fiji remains suspended.
	Fiji remains suspended from the Commonwealth until it returns to democracy. Our view is that should democracy in Fiji be restored through free and fair elections, we stand ready to consider further assistance and look forward to the day Fiji is re-instated as a full member of the Commonwealth family. I used my visit to the region last month to make public statements on these points. I have spoken along similar lines to the Fijian high commissioner in London.
	I have encouraged the Commonwealth Secretary-General to continue his organisation's outreach to Fiji to discuss assistance that Fiji would need to enable a return to democracy. The British high commission in Suva met a Commonwealth Secretariat needs-assessment mission that recently visited Fiji.
	In relation to all of these issues, we continue to work closely with our partners in the region, including Australia and New Zealand.

Russia

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Russian government regarding the detention and trial of Alexey Navalny.

David Lidington: We are concerned that a number of prominent opposition politicians have faced criminal and administrative charges in Russia in the last year. Many observers have suggested that these cases are politically motivated. Senior officials raised the ongoing charges against Alexei Navalny at the 2013 UK-Russia Human Rights Dialogue which was held in Moscow on 8 May. We are following developments in the case closely.

Russia

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations his Department has made to the Russian Government on (a) human rights, (b) the independence of the judiciary and (c) the arrest and prosecution of political opposition figures.

David Lidington: At the 2013 UK-Russia Human Rights Dialogue held in Moscow on 8 May the UK delegation set out our concerns about recent human rights developments in Russia including the arrest and prosecution of political opposition figures, and that such action was undermining the rule of law in Russia. We also continue to raise concerns at ministerial level. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the right hon. Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), did so during talks with Foreign Minister Lavrov in London in March, and I did the same when I met Deputy Foreign Minister Titov in Moscow in February.

Somalia

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the representation of women's issues at the conference on Somalia held on 7 May 2013.

Mark Simmonds: The single biggest challenge facing women in Somalia remains the impact of conflict and insecurity. The Somalia Conference focused on how the international community could better support the Federal Government of Somalia in providing better security for its citizens, thereby helping to protect the most vulnerable members of society.
	Preventing sexual violence was also an important theme at the Somalia Conference, following the request made by Somali Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Fawzia Yusuf H. Adam for UK assistance on this issue during her visit to the UK in January. During the conference, the Federal Government and the UN signed a joint Communiqué representing their commitment to tackle sexual violence in Somalia. The UK will continue to work with both parties to progress this work.

Somalia

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he had with representatives of Somali women prior to the conference on Somalia held on 7 May 2013; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Simmonds: Together with the Department for International Development and the Home Office, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office hosted a seminar on 29 April in which prominent civil society members from Somalia and the UK Diaspora came together to discuss issues facing women in Somalia today. The event demonstrated the importance the British Government places on the empowerment of Somali women as a core component of our engagement in Somalia.
	I chaired a session focusing on the issue of violence against women and girls in conflict and listened to the concerns and advice that these women had for both the UK and for Somalia. The Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening) opened this event and spoke on women's empowerment, while the Under-Secretary of State for International Development, the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Lynne Featherstone) chaired the final session on female genital mutilation and forced marriage. A report of the main conclusions from this seminar was placed in the delegate packs for all those who attended the Somalia Conference on 7 May.
	During his visit to Mogadishu on 2 May, in advance of the Somalia Conference, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), held a roundtable with prominent civil society representatives and members of the Federal Government of Somalia to discuss, first hand, issues faced by women in Somalia.

Somalia

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what actions will be taken with regard to protecting and advancing women's rights in Somalia as a result of the conference on Somalia on 7 May 2013; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Simmonds: The British Government places great importance on gender equality and on the empowerment of Somali women as a core component of UK engagement in Somalia. Protection of human rights, including women's rights, formed important components of the plans presented by the Federal Government of Somalia at the London Somalia Conference on 7 May. Together with international partners, Britain will be working closely with the Somali Government to implement these plans.
	The UK looks forward to working with the Federal Government of Somalia, the UN and other international partners to support these recommendations. On 1 May, the UK and United Arab Emirates announced £2 million of joint funding for training and capacity building support to the Federal Government of Somalia in order to assist with the implementation of the report's recommendations.
	During the Somalia Conference, the UN Deputy Secretary General and the UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict signed a joint communiqué with the Federal Government of Somalia committing to joint work to tackle the issue of sexual violence in Somalia. The UN Special Representative's team will visit Somalia in the summer and make recommendations for practical steps that can be taken to improve Somalia's rule of law systems to prosecute crimes of sexual violence and to support victims.

Syria

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that no UK companies are (a) directly and (b) indirectly involved in selling goods to the Assad regime in Syria; and what discussions he has had with his (i) US, (ii) French and (iii) German counterparts to ensure that companies from those countries are not selling goods to that regime.

Alistair Burt: The British Government has led the way in introducing EU Measures against the Syrian regime, including against President Assad. All items currently prohibited under the EU Syria sanctions are listed in the official journal of the EU
	http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2012:330:0021:0051:EN:PDF
	This means that no UK company can sell these goods to or buy these goods from the Assad regime.
	We discuss the evolving situation in Syria with our international partners on a regular basis at ministerial and official level. This includes conversations with the US, France and Germany on ensuring that all appropriate restrictive measures are being taken against the Assad regime.